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1064720

research-article2022
JOP0010.1177/02698811211064720Journal of PsychopharmacologyRucker et al.

Original Paper

The effects of psilocybin on cognitive and


emotional functions in healthy participants:
Results from a phase 1, randomised, Journal of Psychopharmacology

placebo-controlled trial involving


1­–12
© The Author(s) 2022

simultaneous psilocybin administration Article reuse guidelines:

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https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811211064720
DOI: 10.1177/02698811211064720
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James J Rucker1,2 , Lindsey Marwood3 , Riikka-Liisa J Ajantaival4,


Catherine Bird1, Hans Eriksson3, John Harrison1,5,6, Molly Lennard-Jones3,
Sunil Mistry3, Francesco Saldarini3, Susan Stansfield3, Sara J Tai7,
Sam Williams3, Neil Weston1, Ekaterina Malievskaia3
and Allan H Young1,2

Abstract
Background: Psilocybin, a psychoactive serotonin receptor partial agonist, has been reported to acutely reduce clinical symptoms of depressive
disorders. Psilocybin’s effects on cognitive function have not been widely or systematically studied.
Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the safety of simultaneous administration of psilocybin to healthy participants in the largest randomised
controlled trial of psilocybin to date. Primary and secondary endpoints assessed the short- and longer-term change in cognitive functioning, as
assessed by a Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) Panel, and emotional processing scales. Safety was assessed via
endpoints which included cognitive function, assessed by CANTAB global composite score, and treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) monitoring.
Methods: In this phase 1, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, healthy participants (n = 89; mean age 36.1 years; 41 females, 48 males)
were randomised to receive a single oral dose of 10 or 25 mg psilocybin, or placebo, administered simultaneously to up to six participants, with one-
to-one psychological support – each participant having an assigned, dedicated therapist available throughout the session.
Results: In total, 511 TEAEs were reported, with a median duration of 1.0 day; 67% of all TEAEs started and resolved on the day of administration.
There were no serious TEAEs, and none led to study withdrawal. There were no clinically relevant between-group differences in CANTAB global
composite score, CANTAB cognitive domain scores, or emotional processing scale scores.
Conclusions: These results indicate that 10 mg and 25 mg doses of psilocybin were generally well tolerated when given to up to six participants
simultaneously and did not have any detrimental short- or long-term effects on cognitive functioning or emotional processing.
Clinical Trial Registration: EudraCT (https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/) number: 2018-000978-30.

Keywords
Psilocybin, cognition, emotional processing, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial

Introduction 1Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry,


Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is a nat- 2South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
urally occurring psychoactive alkaloid, first isolated from 3COMPASS Pathways PLC, London, UK

Psilocybe mushrooms (Passie et al., 2002). Alongside other 4Clinical Research Institute, Helsinki University Central Hospital,

tryptamines, including dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and ergolines Helsinki, Finland


such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin is a partial 5Alzheimer’s Center, AUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
6Metis Cognition Ltd., Kilmington Common, UK
agonist of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) receptors
7Division of Psychology & Mental Health, The University of Manchester,
(Halberstadt and Geyer, 2011) and belongs to a class of drugs
called ‘psychedelics’ (Carhart-Harris et al., 2016). Manchester, UK
Psilocybe mushrooms, and other psychedelic plants such as Corresponding author:
peyote and ayahuasca, have been used by Central and South James J Rucker MD, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of
American native groups in sacred spiritual and healing ceremonies Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, 16 De
for thousands of years (Clarke, 2007). In the West, psilocybin has Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK.
been used in psychiatric research and in psychodynamic-orientated Email: james.rucker@kcl.ac.uk
2 Journal of Psychopharmacology 00(0)

psychotherapy from the early to mid-1960s, after it was first iso- by administering a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor pro-
lated and later synthesised by Albert Hofmann in 1957 and 1958, moted prosocial behaviour in one study (Crockett et al., 2010)
respectively (Hofmann et al., 1958, 1959). This research on the and reduced processing of negative emotional stimuli in another
effects of psilocybin largely halted when it became a Schedule 1 (Harmer et al., 2004); however, since serotonin reuptake inhibi-
substance due to international legal controls (Rucker et al., 2020), tors block 5-HT uptake, such studies do not provide information
before a resurgence in the mid-1990s (Passie, 2005; Passie et al., on specific 5-HT-receptor functioning in social and emotional
2002). functioning. Since psilocybin is a preferential partial agonist of
Psilocybin produces a non-ordinary state of consciousness the 5-HT2A and 5-HT1A receptors, it is well-suited for investiga-
characterised by changes in emotional state and perception, tion of the relative contributions of these subtypes to aspects of
including experiences of self, space and time (Hasler et al., 2004; emotional processing. In healthy participants, 5-HT2A/1A-receptor
Kraehenmann et al., 2015; Vollenweider et al., 1998, 2007). stimulation following psilocybin administration acutely enhanced
Previous reports suggest that the psychoactive effects of psilocy- mood and empathy (Mason et al., 2019; Pokorny et al., 2017),
bin are mainly attributable to partial agonism of the 5HT2A recep- prosocial behaviour (Gabay et al., 2018) and attenuated process-
tor subtype (Halberstadt and Geyer, 2011; Madsen et al., 2019; ing of negative facial expressions and social pain (Bernasconi
Passie et al., 2002; Vollenweider et al., 1998). et al., 2014; Kometer et al., 2012; Preller et al., 2016). While
Pilot studies have reported on the efficacy of psilocybin in, for these acute effects of psilocybin indicate that serotonin receptor
example, treatment-resistant depression (Carhart-Harris et al., stimulation is a promising target for improvement of emotional
2016, 2018), major depressive disorder (Davis et al., 2021), ter- processing, investigation of the longer-term effects is of clinical
minal-cancer–related anxiety (Griffiths et al., 2016; Grob et al., relevance, as it is unclear whether psilocybin’s prosocial effects
2011; Ross et al., 2016), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) persist post-acutely. Furthermore, it has not yet been investigated
(Moreno et al., 2006) and alcohol and nicotine dependence whether the beneficial effects of psilocybin may also benefit gen-
(Bogenschutz et al., 2015; Johnson et al., 2014). All reported eral cognitive abilities. Given the potential for psilocybin as a
encouraging efficacy findings, with minimal adverse events treatment for a range of conditions, studying its effects on cogni-
(AEs), although these results should be interpreted with caution tion is important.
given that some studies were not specifically designed to robustly This study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of
test psilocybin’s efficacy (e.g. some had open-label designs or simultaneous administration of single doses of either 10 or 25 mg
lacked a placebo control arm) and all were limited by small sam- doses of psilocybin compared with placebo in healthy partici-
ple sizes. Results from a systematic review of studies conducted pants, administered in a supervised setting with one-to-one psy-
prior to psilocybin prohibition in the 1970s were also encourag- chological support, and to assess the short- and long-term effects
ing (Rucker et al., 2016). of psilocybin on key domains of cognitive functioning. To our
Neural correlates of cognitive and emotional processing are knowledge, this represents the largest randomised controlled trial
considered important therapeutic targets in the development of of psilocybin to date. It is important to study the safety and feasi-
novel treatments for treatment-resistant depression and other bility of this model of simultaneous administration as it could be
mental disorders. Recent studies demonstrated that psilocybin a more effective, time- and cost-efficient model of treatment
and similar psychedelics modulate neural circuits implicated in delivery, meaning more patients could potentially benefit from
affective disorders, with potential to reduce clinical symptoms of this treatment, if approved. While the psychological support in
depression (Carhart-Harris et al., 2012, 2016, 2018). psilocybin therapy delivered before and after psilocybin adminis-
Social cognitive functioning is an influential factor in the tration has been administered in group settings in another recent
development, progression and treatment of many mental health study by Anderson et al. (2020), the actual administration of
problems. Deficits in social cognition represent key characteris- psilocybin has only been given on an individual basis in modern
tics of many psychiatric and neurological disorders (Cotter et al., studies, to date. Prior to the implementation of legal constraints
2018) and may compromise real-world functioning across vari- surrounding psychedelics and subsequent assignment of psilocy-
ous settings, including work and independent living (Arioli et al., bin and LSD as Schedule 1 substances, several studies did admin-
2018; Jones et al., 2015). Current interventions for psychiatric ister psychedelics and/or psychedelic therapy sessions in a group
disorders include psychosocial techniques, such as psychothera- setting (e.g. Harman et al., 1966; Leary et al., 1963; Pahnke,
pies and occupational therapy and/or social environment and role 1963). This study is the first study since the revival of psyche-
interventions, as well as pharmacological treatments. Although delic research, to our knowledge, to administer psilocybin to par-
these interventions are successful for some, they fail others and ticipants simultaneously.
are only partially successful in many. Lack of an adequate breadth
of interventions for mental health problems, combined with an
increasingly overt impact, highlights an urgent need for alterna- Materials and methods
tive approaches (NHS Digital, 2014). Given this unmet need for
Study design
improved treatment of social and emotional functioning deficits,
a better understanding of the short- and long-term effects of psil- This was a phase 1, randomised, double-blind, placebo-con-
ocybin on emotional processing and social cognition is required. trolled, between-groups study to evaluate the effects of single
The serotonin system has been reported to represent a promis- 10 and 25 mg doses of psilocybin compared with placebo in
ing target for pharmacological modulation of social and emo- healthy participants, conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry,
tional functioning and has been implicated in the pathophysiology Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London,
of various mental health problems (Ciranna, 2006; Švob Štrac London, UK, sponsored by COMPASS Pathways (EudraCT
et al., 2016). Increasing serotonin levels in healthy participants number: 2018-000978-30).
Rucker et al. 3

Participants assisting therapists, who were supervised by a lead therapist. The


first effects of psilocybin are seen about 20–30 min after admin-
The study recruited healthy participants (male or female; aged istration, are most intense in the first 90–120 min and then gradu-
18–65 years at screening) with no psilocybin experience within ally subside, typically resolving in ~5–6 h after administration
1 year prior to enrolment; the study aimed to recruit up to 90 par- (Carhart-Harris et al., 2016). The simultaneous dosing involved
ticipants who met eligibility criteria at the screening visit (visit 1; each participant having a private space, for example, a bed sepa-
day -56 to day -2). Participants were recruited via online adver- rated by curtains within the same room, so they could focus on
tisements and word of mouth. Inclusion criteria, psychiatric their own experience with minimal distractions, especially as
exclusion criteria (including current/history of psychiatric disor- participants were encouraged to wear eyeshades, earplugs and/or
ders, current/recent psychiatric medications, or other psilocybin- earphones for the duration of the administration session.
incompatible psychiatric or psychological conditions, as judged Participants communicated only with their therapists during the
by the investigator), and medical exclusion criteria are listed in administration sessions.
the Supplementary Methods. After at least 6 h, once the effects of the study drug had mostly
subsided, participants were assessed for safety by the clinical
judgement of therapists and a psychiatrist, AEs were collected,
Procedures and participants were asked to complete the Positive and Negative
Participants were followed up for 12 weeks after study drug Affect Schedule (PANAS) (Watson and Clark, 1994; Watson
administration; the visit schedule is presented in Supplementary et al., 1988).
Figure S1a. Eligibility screening (visit 1) involved medical and Participants were subsequently discharged and asked to return
psychiatric history assessment; administration of the Mini the following day (day 1; visit 4) for safety assessments and a
International Neuropsychiatric Interview v7.0.2 (Sheehan et al., discussion with their allocated therapist about the subjective expe-
1998), the MacLean Screening Instrument for Borderline rience during the administration session (integration session).
Personality Disorder (Zanarini et al., 2003) and the Sheehan
Suicidality Tracking Scale (SSTS (Coric et al., 2009); adminis-
tered at screening, baseline and all post-baseline visits except Funding and ethical approval
visit 7); physical examination; assessment of vital signs, body
All participants signed an informed consent form prior to eligi-
weight, height and body mass index; 12-lead electrocardiogram;
bility screening. The study was conducted in accordance with the
clinical laboratory tests; urine drug screen; urine pregnancy test;
International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines for Good
documentation of contraceptive method; review of prior and
Clinical Practice, the regulations on electronic records and elec-
concomitant medications; and recording of AEs. On the day
tronic signature, and the most recent guidelines of the Declaration
before study drug administration (baseline; day -1; visit 2), par-
of Helsinki, and was approved by the London-Brent Research
ticipants underwent assessments of cognitive functioning and
Ethics Committee (reference number: 18/LO/0731). The study
emotional processing including social cognition tasks, vital
was funded and sponsored by COMPASS Pathways, London,
signs, urine drug screen, review of prior/concomitant medica-
UK.
tions and recording of AEs (Supplementary Figure S1b).
Participants were stratified by sex and age (18–35  years
old; >35 years old) and randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio using blocked
Study endpoints
randomisation (Supplementary Methods) to 10 mg psilocybin,
25 mg psilocybin, or placebo, to be administered orally. During Safety endpoints included cognitive function, suicidality (as
this visit, participants attended a 2-h group preparatory session measured by the SSTS; a higher score indicates greater suicidal-
(involving all participants to be dosed the following day, a lead ity); AEs and serious AEs; vital signs; and clinical laboratory
therapist and assisting therapists) and had a short (5–15 min) tests (basic chemistry test). Cognitive function was measured by
individual discussion with their assigned assisting therapist. the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery
Details of therapist training and qualifications are provided else- (CANTAB) global composite score change from baseline (day
where (Tai et al., 2021). -1) to day 8 and 29, calculated from Z scores for each CANTAB
On day 1, participants were instructed to eat a light break- measure (Paired Associates Learning-Total Errors Adjusted
fast ⩾ 2 h before arriving at the clinic; prior to receiving study (PAL-TEA; a measure of episodic memory); Spatial Working
drug, participants underwent the SSTS, evaluation of vital signs Memory-Between Errors (SWM-BE; working memory); SWM-
and review of concomitant medications and AEs (Supplementary Strategy (SWM-S; executive function and planning); and Rapid
Figure S1b). The study drug was administered simultaneously to Visual Information Processing A-prime (RVP-A’; sustained
up to six participants as a single 5-capsule oral dose (psilocybin attention); a higher CANTAB global composite score indicates
10 mg: 2 × 5 mg psilocybin capsules plus 3 × placebo capsules; better cognitive function). Each AE reported by a participant was
psilocybin 25 mg: 5 × 5 mg psilocybin capsules; placebo: 5 × assessed for its relationship to the study drug by the blinded study
placebo capsules). COMP360 psilocybin was administered in investigator reporting the event with the following criteria:
this study, which is COMPASS Pathways’ proprietary pharma- related, possibly related, or not related.
ceutical-grade synthetic psilocybin formulation that has been The primary efficacy endpoints were short-term change from
optimised for stability and purity. Participants were randomised baseline (day -1) to day 8 in cognitive measures of attention, spa-
on an individual basis and therefore participants in the same dos- tial and working memory and executive function (Sahakian and
ing session could be allocated to different treatment groups. Owen, 1992); short-term change from baseline to day 8 in social
Administration sessions generally lasted ~6–8 h, with psy- cognition, emotional processing scales (comprising the Pictorial
chological support available throughout from specially trained Empathy Test (PET); Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET);
4 Journal of Psychopharmacology 00(0)

Scale of Social Responsibility (SSR); Social Value Orientation Safety analyses were performed on evaluation of CANTAB
(SVO); and Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) (Baron- global composite score, AEs (coded by Medical Dictionary for
Cohen et al., 2001; Gough et al., 1952; Lindeman et al., 2018; Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) Version 21.0 preferred term
Murphy et al., 2011; Spreng et al., 2009)); change from baseline and summarised by treatment group, severity and relationship to
to day 29 in the individual cognitive functioning assessments study drug determined by the investigator reporting the AE), vital
previously outlined; and long-term change from baseline to day signs and clinical laboratory assessments. Treatment-emergent
85 in social cognition, emotional processing scales. AEs (TEAEs) were defined as any AEs with an onset on or after
Secondary efficacy endpoints included dose-related differ- the dose of study drug, or any pre-existing condition that wors-
ences in the cognitive effects of psilocybin at baseline, day 8 ened on or after the dose of study drug.
and day 29, measured by the CANTAB assessments RVP-Aʹ, At screening, participants underwent CANTAB assessments
SWM-BE, SWM-S, PAL-TEA; dose-related differences in the as part of a familiarisation session; this was included in the
psychological effects of psilocybin at baseline, day 8 and day descriptive statistics but was excluded from statistical modelling.
85, measured by the social cognition, emotional processing All analyses were performed using statistical software SAS®
scales; differences in the cognitive effects of psilocybin between (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA).
psilocybin-naïve and -experienced participants at baseline, day
8 and day 29, measured by the CANTAB global composite
score; and differences in PANAS after study drug administra- Results
tion on day 1.
Participants
The study randomised 89 healthy participants (mean age,
Statistical analyses 36.1 years; 41 females, 48 males); participant demographics and
The Safety Population comprised all randomised participants who disposition are summarised in Table 1 and Supplementary Figure
received study drug and was used for all summaries of participant S2, respectively. Of these, 30 participants were randomised to
accountability, demographic and baseline data, and safety infor- receive 25 mg psilocybin, 30–10 mg psilocybin and 29 to pla-
mation, including AE incidence and cognition endpoint analyses. cebo; 33 (37.1%) participants had prior psilocybin experience.
The modified Intent-to-Treat (mITT) Population comprised all Twenty-five administration sessions were completed, with up to
participants in the Safety Population who had at least one post- six participants dosed simultaneously per session (there were 2
dose assessment. This population was used for emotional process- sessions with one participant each, 3 with two, 5 with three, 11
ing endpoint analyses. The Per-Protocol (PP) Population with four, 2 with five and 2 with six). All participants randomised
comprised all participants in the Safety Population who did not to both psilocybin arms completed the study; four (13.8%) pla-
have a major protocol deviation that was thought to significantly cebo-treated participants did not complete all study visits (three
affect the integrity of the participant’s data. This population was were lost to follow-up; one was withdrawn following a protocol
used for the CANTAB primary endpoint analyses. deviation). The first participant’s first visit date was August 17,
A sample size of up to 90 participants (30 per treatment group) 2018, and the last participant’s last visit date was July 19, 2019.
was chosen to allow reasonable assessment of each of the planned
endpoints. This study was exploratory and therefore not ade-
quately powered to detect statistical significance; as such p val-
Safety outcomes
ues are not reported. The effects of psilocybin on each outcome Adverse events.  In total, 511 TEAEs were reported during the
variable collected at more than one time point post-baseline were 12-week study: 217 in the 25 mg psilocybin arm (reported by
evaluated as change from baseline scores (observed case) using a 29 (96.7%) participants), 203 in the 10 mg psilocybin arm
mixed-model for repeated measures (MMRM) analysis with fac- (reported by 29 (96.7%) participants) and 91 in the placebo
tors for administration group, former psilocybin experience arm (reported by 26 (89.7%) participants). Of these, 208, 188
(FPE) [emotional processing endpoints only], visit, and treat- and 77 were deemed by the investigator to be potentially
ment-by-visit interaction as fixed effects, and baseline value as a related to study treatment in the 25 mg, 10 mg and placebo
covariate. An unstructured variance covariance matrix was used arms, respectively. The most frequently reported TEAEs
to model the within-patient errors, and the Kenward and Roger (ordered according to incidence in the 25 mg arm) and a sum-
method was used for calculating the denominator degrees of free- mary of predefined TEAEs of special interest are presented in
dom for tests of fixed effects. The MMRM method utilises the Table 2. There were no serious TEAEs and no AEs led to with-
observed data efficiently, handling missing data automatically, drawal from the study.
based on the assumption that data are missing at random, thus Four participants reported AEs of anxiety on the day of study
minimising bias in the estimates of treatment effect. The PANAS, drug administration (25 mg psilocybin, n = 2 (6.7%); 10 mg psilo-
which was assessed at baseline and day of administration, was cybin, n = 1 (3.3%); placebo, n = 1 (3.4%)) In total, 57 AEs of
analysed using an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) model ‘mood altered’ were reported (mood-related AEs were grouped
with change from baseline as the dependent variable; the model into this MedDRA preferred term post hoc, while retaining the
included fixed effects for study drug and FPE, and baseline score AE description originally reported by the participant/investiga-
as a covariate. To investigate the impact of prior psilocybin use tor); of these, two were negative alterations in mood, one in the
(yes/no) on the CANTAB endpoints (safety-related), the MMRM 10 mg psilocybin arm (‘feeling more moody or sensitive’, which
model above was extended to include the main effect for FPE and started on day 3 and lasted for 9 days) and one in the placebo arm
its interactions with study drug and time. (‘negative mood’, which started and resolved on day 1). The
Rucker et al. 5

Table 1.  Participant demographics (safety population).

Parameter Psilocybin 25 mg Psilocybin 10 mg Placebo Overall


(N = 30) (N = 30) (N = 29) (N = 89)

Gender, n (%)
 Male 16 (53.3) 16 (53.3) 16 (55.2) 48 (53.9)
 Female 14 (46.7) 14 (46.7) 13 (44.8) 41 (46.1)
Race, n (%)
 White 25 (83.3) 27 (90.0) 20 (69.0) 72 (80.9)
 Black  0  0 1 (3.4) 1 (1.1)
 Asian 2 (6.7) 1 (3.3) 3 (10.3) 6 (6.7)
 Mixed 2 (6.7) 1 (3.3) 1 (3.4) 4 (4.5)
 Other 1 (3.3) 1 (3.3) 4 (13.8) 6 (6.7)
Age at time of consent, years
  Mean (SD) 36.6 (10.29) 36.1 (9.25) 35.6 (7.69) 36.1 (9.06)
BMI, kg/m2
  Mean (SD) 22.9 (3.75) 23.0 (2.90) 23.7 (3.20) 23.2 (3.29)
Educational level, n (%)
  No formal qualifications  0  0  0  0
  GCSE/GCE/O level  0  0  0  0
  A level/NVQ 2 (6.7) 1 (3.3)  0 3 (3.4)
  Undergraduate/higher national diploma 9 (30.0) 11 (36.7) 10 (34.5) 30 (33.7)
  Master’s or postgraduate diploma 16 (53.3) 16 (53.3) 15 (51.7) 47 (52.8)
 PhD 3 (10.0) 2 (6.7) 4 (13.8) 9 (10.1)
Prior psilocybin experience, n (%)
 Yes 11 (36.7) 15 (50.0) 7 (24.1) 33 (37.1)
 No 19 (63.3) 15 (50.0) 22 (75.9) 56 (62.9)

BMI: body mass index; GC(S)E: general certificate of (secondary) education; NVQ: national vocational qualification.

Table 2.  Most frequently reported TEAEs (occurring in >15% of participants in any treatment arm and ordered according to incidence in the 25 mg
psilocybin arm) and summary of TEAEs of special interest (Safety Population).

Psilocybin 25 mg Psilocybin 10 mg Placebo


(N = 30) (N = 30) (N = 29)

  n (%) Events n (%) Events n (%) Events

Most frequently reported TEAE (MedDRA Preferred Term)


  Hallucination, visual 21 (70.0) 22 18 (60.0) 20 2 (6.9) 2
 Illusion 18 (60.0) 26 19 (63.3) 25 4 (13.8) 5
  Mood altered 15 (50.0) 25 13 (43.3) 23 6 (20.7) 9
 Headache 15 (50.0) 16 9 (30.0) 12 5 (17.2) 5
 Fatigue   8 (26.7) 8 9 (30.0) 10 3 (10.3) 3
  Euphoric mood   7 (23.3) 8 7 (23.3) 7 0 0
  Tension headache   6 (20.0) 6 3 (10.0) 3 3 (10.3) 3
  Time perception altered   6 (20.0) 6 2 (6.7) 2 3 (10.3) 3
  Emotional disorder   5 (16.7) 6 2 (6.7) 2 0 0
  Somatic hallucination   5 (16.7) 6 8 (26.7) 8 4 (13.8) 5
  Affect lability   3 (10.0) 3 5 (16.7) 5 1 (3.4) 1
TEAEs of special interest (MedDRA System Organ Class/Preferred Term)
  Any TEAE of special interest 26 (86.7) 80 25 (83.3) 81 10 (34.5) 19
  Nervous system disorders  0 0 2 (6.7) 2 0 0
  Memory impairment  0 0 1 (3.3) 1 0 0
   Psychomotor skills impaired  0 0 1 (3.3) 1 0 0
  Psychiatric disorders 26 (86.7) 80 25 (83.3) 79 10 (34.5) 19
  Affect lability   3 (10.0) 3 5 (16.7) 5 1 (3.4) 1
   Change in sustained attention  0 0 2 (6.7) 2 0 0

(Continued)
6 Journal of Psychopharmacology 00(0)

Table 2. (Continued)

Psilocybin 25 mg Psilocybin 10 mg Placebo


(N = 30) (N = 30) (N = 29)

  n (%) Events n (%) Events n (%) Events

  Depressed mood   2 (6.7) 2 1 (3.3) 1 1 (3.4) 1


   Dissociative identity disorder   2 (6.7) 2 1 (3.3) 2 0 0
  Euphoric mood   7 (23.3) 8 7 (23.3) 7 0 0
  Hallucinationa   2 (6.7) 2 3 (10.0) 3 0 0
  Hallucination, auditory   4 (13.3) 4 4 (13.3) 4 1 (3.4) 1
  Hallucination, gustatory  0 0 1 (3.3) 1 0 0
  Hallucination, olfactory   1 (3.3) 1 1 (3.3) 1 0 0
  Hallucination, tactile   4 (13.3) 4 2 (6.7) 2 0 0
  Hallucination, visual 21 (70.0) 22 18 (60.0) 20 2 (6.9) 2
  Mood altered 15 (50.0) 25 13 (43.3) 23 6 (20.7) 9
  Somatic hallucination   5 (16.7) 6 8 (26.7) 8 4 (13.8) 5
   Substance-induced psychotic disorder   1 (3.3)b 1  0 0 0 0

TEAEs were coded post hoc to MedDRA Version 21.0 Preferred Terms. TEAE: treatment-emergent adverse event; MedDRA: Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities.
aAll TEAEs coded to the MedDRA preferred term ‘Hallucination’ were described as ‘kinaesthetic hallucinations’.

remaining ‘mood altered’ AEs, which included introspection, investigator to be possibly related to study drug. In addition, one
reflection and sense of oneness, are summarised in Supplementary participant in the placebo arm reported two TEAEs of suicidal
Table S1. ideation (one started on day 4 and lasted for 5 days; one started on
Psilocybin induced expected, transient psychedelic experi- day 18 and lasted for 17 days) and two TEAEs of suicidal
ences. These included 86 reports of hallucination, 57 of mood thoughts (one started and resolved on day 79; one started and
altered, 56 of illusion, 15 of euphoric mood and 11 of time per- resolved on day 91). All four events were moderate in severity
ception altered. Across all AEs reported in all treatment arms and considered possibly related to study drug.
throughout the 12 week study, 67% started and resolved on the
administration day; the median duration of AEs was 1.0 day.
When selecting only those AEs likely to be psychedelic in nature Cognitive and emotional processing
(according to the AE MedDRA preferred term), determined by outcomes
post hoc adjudication by four investigators (54% of all AEs), 255
started on the administration day, 235 (92%) of which were Cognitive functioning.  Mixed-model analysis of change from
resolved that day. baseline in CANTAB outcomes measures by dose (Safety Popu-
An AE of substance induced psychotic disorder was reported lation) are presented in Table 3 and Figure 1(a) to (e).
for a participant who became behaviourally disinhibited during the For RVP-A', a measure of sustained attention, there were
acute drug experience. After a medical assessment, 2.5 mg oromu- trends indicating better performance on average for 10 mg and
cosal midazolam was administered. The participant recovered with 25 mg psilocybin by day 29 compared with baseline, but no dif-
no sequelae and was discharged 11 h after receiving the study ference was observed for 10 mg and 25 mg psilocybin when com-
intervention. This event was not considered to be an SAE, and no pared with placebo, nor between 25 mg and 10 mg psilocybin.
clinically significant ongoing effects were noted at follow-up. For SWM-BE, a measure of working memory, and SWM-S, a
measure of executive function and planning, there were trends
indicating better performance on average for 25 mg psilocybin
Clinical Laboratory Assessment and Vital signs.  There were (and placebo for SWM-BE only) by day 29 compared with base-
four clinically significant clinical laboratory assessment findings, line, but no difference was observed for 10 mg and 25 mg psilo-
which were recorded as AEs (none of which prevented the par- cybin when compared with placebo, nor between 25 mg and
ticipant from entering or continuing in the study). Two occurred 10 mg psilocybin. For PAL-TEA, a measure of episodic memory,
in the blood test at screening, two in the blood test on the day there was no difference for any of the groups at day 29 compared
after administration. There were no clinically significant findings with baseline, nor were any differences observed between the
in vital signs. groups.
For the global composite (safety outcome), higher scores indi-
Suicidality.  At baseline, all participants recorded an SSTS score cate better performance. Overall, there was an increasing trend in
of 0. During follow-up, no participants in the 25 mg psilocybin score for the 10 mg and 25 mg psilocybin doses by day 29 com-
arm recorded an SSTS score > 0; however, one participant in the pared with baseline. But no difference was observed for 10 mg
10 mg psilocybin arm recorded a highest score of 1 during fol- and 25 mg psilocybin when compared with placebo, and also
low-up (reported at the day 29 visit). This participant reported a between 25 mg and 10 mg psilocybin by day 29. On the CANTAB
TEAE of suicidal thoughts (one event), which started and composite score, performance was worse than placebo for the
resolved on day 19, was mild in severity and was deemed by the 10 mg psilocybin group at day 8. However, this result is due in
Rucker et al. 7

Table 3.  Mixed-model analysis of change from baseline in CANTAB outcome measures (safety population).

LS mean (SE) change from baseline in score LS mean (95% CI) difference from placebo

  Day 8 Day 29 Day 8 Day 29

CANTAB global composite


 Placebo 0.2197 (0.07017) 0.1617 (0.09272) — —
  Psilocybin 10 mg 0.0237 (0.06899) 0.1981 (0.08376) –0.1960 (–0.39172, –0.00024) 0.0364 (–0.21234, 0.28505)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.1030 (0.06898) 0.3136 (0.08501) –0.1167 (–0.31228, 0.07898) 0.1519 (–0.09846, 0.40219)
PAL-TEA
 Placebo –0.9 (1.11) 0.9 (1.50) — —
  Psilocybin 10 mg 1.6 (1.09) –1.6 (1.35) 2.5 (–0.57, 5.65) –2.4 (–6.48, 1.59)
  Psilocybin 25 mg –1.4 (1.09) –1.7 (1.37) –0.5 (–3.60, 2.60) –2.5 (–6.59, 1.52)
SWM-BE
 Placebo –1.4 (0.99) –2.4 (0.85) — —
  Psilocybin 10 mg 0.1 (0.98) –0.7 (0.77) 1.5 (–1.27, 4.27) 1.7 (–0.56, 4.02)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.3 (0.97) –2.0 (0.78) 1.7 (–1.02, 4.51) 0.5 (–1.83, 2.77)
SWM-S
 Placebo –0.5 (0.31) –0.5 (0.36) — —
  Psilocybin 10 mg –0.1 (0.30) –0.4 (0.33) 0.4 (–0.46, 1.26) 0.2 (–0.78, 1.16)
  Psilocybin 25 mg –0.2 (0.30) –0.9 (0.33) 0.3 (–0.59, 1.12) –0.4 (–1.35, 0.60)
RVP-A'
 Placebo 0.0139 (0.00293) 0.0049 (0.00558) — —
  Psilocybin 10 mg 0.0122 (0.00288) 0.0152 (0.00502) –0.0017 (–0.00984, 0.00651) 0.0103 (–0.00464, 0.02524)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.0086 (0.00288) 0.0148 (0.00510) –0.0053 (–0.01348, 0.00286) 0.0099 (–0.00519, 0.02490)

Baseline is defined as the last measurement obtained prior to study drug administration.
The treatment effect (i.e. the difference between LS means for each treatment pair) is obtained from a mixed-model for repeated measures analysis with change from
baseline score as the dependent variable. The model includes fixed effects for treatment, visit and treatment-by-visit interaction, with visit as the repeating factor, par-
ticipant as a random effect and baseline score as a covariate. For PAL-TEA, SWM-BE and SWM-S, lower scores denote better performance. For RVP-A' and CANTAB compos-
ite, higher scores denote better performance. CANTAB: Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery; LS: least squares; CI confidence interval; PAL-TEA: Paired
Associates Learning-Total Errors Adjusted; SWM-BE: Spatial Working Memory-Between Errors; SWM-S: Spatial Working Memory-Strategy; RVP-A': Rapid Visual Information
Processing A-prime.

part to the larger improvement in performance from baseline by (LS) mean change = -5.0), which was not observed in either psi-
the placebo group at day 8. For the 10 mg psilocybin group, per- locybin group (Supplementary Table S3). Conversely, the 25 mg
formance increased again by day 29 to a level similar to placebo psilocybin group showed a trend for an increase in LS mean
suggesting no adverse effects of the 10 mg psilocybin dose com- negative affect score from baseline of 1.3, compared with no
pared with placebo. change in the 10 mg psilocybin and placebo groups.
When comparing findings on the aforementioned CANTAB
assessments (RVP-A', SWM-BE, SWM-S, PAL-TEA) between
psilocybin-naïve and psilocybin-experienced participants and in Discussion
the Per-Protocol population (which excluded one participant as
This was a phase 1, double-blind, randomised, placebo-con-
their baseline CANTAB assessment was not completed until after
trolled study to evaluate the effects of a single dose (10 mg or
the administration session), the results suggested there was no
25 mg) of psilocybin, with one-to-one support from specially
difference of interest and the results were similar to what was
trained therapists, on cognitive functioning and emotional pro-
observed in the overall analysis in the Safety Population. It
cessing in healthy participants. The study demonstrated the safety
should be noted that there were small numbers of participants in
and feasibility of this model of psilocybin administration, as
each subgroup, as well as an imbalance in the number of partici-
demonstrated by willingness of participants to undergo simulta-
pants who were psilocybin-naïve and experienced in the 25 mg
neous administration and group preparation sessions.
psilocybin arm and placebo.
Psilocybin was generally well tolerated, with no serious
TEAEs reported, consistent with findings of previous, smaller
Social cognition and emotional processing. There was no studies evaluating the feasibility of psilocybin administration
difference between either psilocybin group and placebo in any with psychological support in patients with psychiatric disorders
social cognition and emotional processing scale (PET, RMET, (Bogenschutz et al., 2015; Carhart-Harris et al., 2016, 2018;
SSR, SVO, or TEQ) scores at day 8 or day 85, relative to baseline Davis et al., 2021; Griffiths et al., 2016; Grob et al., 2011;
(Table 4). Johnson et al., 2014; Moreno et al., 2006; Ross et al., 2016). No
TEAEs led to study withdrawal, indicating that psilocybin
PANAS.  The placebo group showed a trend for a reduction in administered at these doses in a supervised setting was well toler-
positive affect score from baseline to post-dose (least squares ated among healthy participants. Over two thirds of adverse
8 Journal of Psychopharmacology 00(0)

events both started and resolved on the day of dosing. Both doses baseline. The fact that participants were typically highly edu-
of psilocybin elicited expected, transient psychedelic effects, cated, and the small sample size, could have limited the general-
which in previous studies have correlated with antidepressive/ isability of results. These findings warrant further investigation
anxiolytic efficacy (Carhart-Harris and Goodwin, 2017; Davis in clinical populations.
et al., 2021; Griffiths et al., 2016; Grob et al., 2011). In terms of social cognition and emotional processing out-
Small differences in cognitive outcomes were seen between comes, there were no consistent trends to suggest that either
the groups, but no clinically relevant negative findings were psilocybin dose had a short- or long-term effect on any social
identified. For RVP-A', SWM-BE, SWM-S and CANTAB global cognition scale (PET, RMET, SSR, SVO, or TEQ). These find-
composite, there were trends demonstrating better performance ings suggest that psilocybin does not exert any detrimental effect
on average in the psilocybin groups by day 29 compared with on the social cognition and emotional functions assessed. Future

Figure 1. (Continued)
Rucker et al. 9

Figure 1.  Mixed-model analysis of change from baseline in CANTAB outcome measures (Safety Population) in: a) CANTAB global composite score,
b) PAL-TEA score, c) SWM-BE score, d) SWM-S score, e) RVP-A’ score.
CANTAB: Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery; LS: least squares; PAL-TEA: Paired Associates Learning-Total Errors Adjusted; RVP-A': Rapid Visual Infor-
mation Processing A-prime; SWM-BE: Spatial Working Memory-Between Errors; SWM-S: Spatial Working Memory-Strategy.

Table 4.  Mixed-model analysis of change from baseline in social cognition scales (Modified Intent-to-Treat Population).

LS mean (SE) change from baseline in score LS mean (95% CI) difference from placebo

  Day 8 Day 85 Day 8 Day 85

PET
 Placebo –0.1 (0.10) –0.2 (0.10) – –
  Psilocybin 10 mg –0.3 (0.09) –0.3 (0.09) –0.1 (–0.39, 0.15) –0.1 (–0.39, 0.15)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.0 (0.09) –0.1 (0.09) 0.2 (–0.11, 0.42) 0.1 (–0.12, 0.41)
RMET
 Placebo 0.3 (0.59) –0.1 (0.66) – –
  Psilocybin 10 mg 0.4 (0.53) 0.1 (0.57) 0.1 (–1.43, 1.69) 0.2 (–1.53, 1.95)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.4 (0.55) 0.4 (0.61) 0.2 (–1.44, 1.74) 0.5 (–1.29, 2.28)
SSR Global
 Placebo –3.2 (1.23) –2.1 (1.20) – –
  Psilocybin 10 mg –2.0 (1.12) –1.8 (1.00) 1.2 (–2.16, 4.56) 0.3 (–2.83, 3.49)
  Psilocybin 25 mg –0.3 (1.17) 0.1 (1.04) 2.8 (–0.50, 6.18) 2.2 (–0.94, 5.29)
SSR Fulfilling Expectations
 Placebo –0.2 (0.07) –0.1 (0.07) – –
  Psilocybin 10 mg –0.1 (0.07) –0.2 (0.06) 0.1 (–0.14, 0.26) –0.1 (–0.32, 0.08)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.0 (0.07) 0.0 (0.07) 0.2 (–0.04, 0.35) 0.0 (–0.16, 0.23)
SSR Compliance
Social Rules
 Placebo –0.1 (0.08) –0.1 (0.08) – –
  Psilocybin 10 mg –0.1 (0.07) –0.1 (0.07) 0.0 (–0.19, 0.22) 0.0 (–0.22, 0.22)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.0 (0.07) 0.0 (0.07) 0.1 (–0.07, 0.34) 0.1 (–0.08, 0.35)
SVO Angle
 Placebo –1.6 (1.29) –3.3 (1.37) – –
  Psilocybin 10 mg 1.8 (1.16) 0.1 (1.16) 3.4 (–0.05, 6.85) 3.4 (–0.16, 6.97)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.5 (1.20) –0.9 (1.24) 2.1 (–1.32, 5.58) 2.4 (–1.16, 6.06)
SVO Type
 Placebo 0.0 (0.07) 0.0 (0.06) – –
  Psilocybin 10 mg 0.1 (0.06) 0.1 (0.05) 0.1 (–0.07, 0.28) 0.1 (–0.06, 0.28)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.1 (0.06) 0.0 (0.06) 0.1 (–0.11, 0.24) 0.1 (–0.10, 0.24)
TEQ
 Placebo –0.1 (0.09) –0.2 (0.09) – –
  Psilocybin 10 mg –0.1 (0.08) –0.1 (0.08) 0.1 (–0.16, 0.31) 0.1 (–0.15, 0.34)
  Psilocybin 25 mg 0.0 (0.08) 0.0 (0.08) 0.2 (–0.08, 0.38) 0.1 (–0.13, 0.36)

Baseline is defined as the last measurement obtained prior to study drug administration.
The treatment effect (i.e. the difference between LS means for each treatment pair) is obtained from a mixed-model for repeated measures analysis with change from
baseline score as the dependent variable. The model includes fixed effects for treatment, Former Psilocybin Experience, visit and treatment-by-visit interaction, with visit
as the repeating factor, participant as a random effect and baseline score as a covariate. LS: least squares; CI: confidence interval; PET: Pictorial Empathy Test; RMET:
Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test; SSR: Scale of Social Responsibility; SVO: Social Value Orientation; TEQ: Toronto Empathy Questionnaire.
10 Journal of Psychopharmacology 00(0)

research should evaluate the generalisability of these social cog- findings to the general population, more diverse groups of par-
nition findings in clinical populations. Evaluation of PANAS ticipants should be recruited.
scores measured immediately following study drug administra- The efficacy of the blinding was not assessed in this study and
tion showed a reduction in positive affect for placebo-treated par- therefore we cannot rule out the potential that guessing the treat-
ticipants, which was not replicated in either psilocybin dose ment assignment influenced results. Participants underwent indi-
group, whereas the 25 mg arm showed an increase in negative vidual, not group, integration sessions after dosing in order to try
affect, which was not replicated in the 10 mg or placebo groups. to reduce unblinding. It is of note that four participants in the
Taken together, these findings support the exploration of psilo- placebo arm did not complete the study. Given psilocybin’s psy-
cybin for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including treat- chedelic effects, combined with the fact that 37% of the total
ment-resistant depression, in a supervised setting with psychological sample had previous experience using psilocybin, it is possible
support. Further studies are required to investigate the efficacy and that these participants may have been able to determine their
safety of psilocybin in patient populations in this setting. assigned treatment group.
It is possible that practice effects could have influenced
results. However, a familiarisation session, where participants
Strengths and limitations completed the cognitive assessments at the screening visit, was
This was the first study, to our knowledge, to systematically conducted. The purpose of familiarisation was to ensure that all
study the longer-term effects of psilocybin on cognition, and to the participants had a chance to practice the tests prior to the col-
report a full AE profile in healthy volunteers. This study benefit- lection of the baseline data. This ensured that all participants
ted from a larger sample size than previous studies of the subjec- understood the tests and minimised the small but consistent
tive experience, efficacy and safety of psilocybin (Carhart-Harris improvements in performance due to practice effects.
et al., 2016, 2018; Griffiths et al., 2008, 2011, 2016); however,
our sample size was not powered to detect statistically significant
differences in psilocybin efficacy between groups. Instead, this
Conclusions
was an exploratory evaluation of the efficacy and safety of psilo- This study demonstrated the feasibility of one-to-one psychologi-
cybin compared with placebo; caution should therefore be taken cal support from specially trained therapists during simultaneous
when interpreting these results. administration of psilocybin in a supervised clinical setting in
Although both 10 mg and 25 mg of psilocybin were gener- healthy volunteers. A single dose of psilocybin 10 mg or 25 mg
ally well tolerated by participants in this study, it is important elicited no serious AEs and did not appear to produce any clini-
to consider the possible risks. Previous literature, albeit in very cally relevant detrimental short- or long-term effects, compared
rare cases (Dos Santos et al., 2017; Litjens et al., 2014; Nichols, with placebo, in cognitive or social functioning or emotional
2016), has reported a few incidences of serotonin syndrome regulation in this study in healthy volunteers. Further investiga-
(Schifano et al., 2021), Hallucinogen Persisting Perception tion of simultaneous therapeutic psilocybin administration in
Disorder (HPPD) (Litjens et al., 2014) and substance-related clinical populations is warranted.
exogenous psychosis (Hendin and Penn, 2021) with psyche-
delic substances, typically when used recreationally alongside Acknowledgements
other psychotropic medications. More research including The authors thank Katrin Preller for technical advice and support, and
larger, diverse samples are necessary to gain a clearer picture also acknowledge the support of the following individuals in the comple-
of the acute and longer-term adverse events associated with tion of this research: Frederick Reinholdt, Peter Gasser, Nefize Yalin,
psilocybin. Dimosthenis Tsapekos, Kristina Posadas, Aster Daniel, Glynis Ivin,
The current study measured the short-term effects of psilocy- Sophie Ward, Michael Welds, Martin Heasman, Elizabeth Hodges and
bin at day 8, and longer-term effects at day 29 or 85. Future Rafaela Giemza. The authors acknowledge support of the National
research would benefit from collecting outcomes at later time Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at
points post-dosing to gain a broader understanding of more long- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College
term effects, and also acutely, either immediately after or during London, and the NIHR/Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility at
King’s College Hospital, where this study was undertaken. The views
psilocybin administration.
expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily
General population level lifetime use of psilocybin in the UK those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health. Medical writ-
population is estimated to be approximately 3%, with a slightly ing support, under the direction of the authors, was provided by Ottilie
higher use of 6% of the population reported in the United States Gildea of CMC AFFINITY, McCann Health Medical Communications
(Hill and Thomas, 2020; Krebs and Johansen, 2013). With thirty- Ltd., in accordance with Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines.
five participants reporting previous use of psilocybin in this This assistance was funded by COMPASS Pathways plc, London, UK.
study, the proportion of participants with prior experience is
greater than expected in the general population, thus additional Author contributions
caution should be taken when generalising these results to other All authors made substantial contributions to the conception or design of
populations. In many previous psilocybin trials, previous psyche- the study, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; all authors
delic use among participants, when reported, is much greater than contributed to drafting the article or revising it critically for important
in the general population (e.g. Carhart-Harris et al., 2021; intellectual content; and all provided final approval of the version to be
Griffiths et al., 2016; Moreno et al., 2006). Explanations for these published. The authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work
disproportionate numbers include self-referral to trials and some in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part
studies requiring past experiences. To extrapolate these ongoing of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Rucker et al. 11

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